PEN International urges Russia's authorities to repeal laws that strangle free speech and to respect freedom of opinion.

A man holds a sign reading in Russian "Rights for gays" during a demonstration near European Community headquarters in Brussels on Jan. 27, 2014.

Published on Wed Feb 05 2014

The following is an open letter to the Russian authorities by PEN International, the global association of writers.

It calls on the Russian government to repeal laws that have severely curtailed the right to free expression, including the so-called anti-gay propaganda law, the religious insult law and the re-criminalization of defamation. It has been signed by dozens of writers and artists.

The story of modern Russia is the story of dramatic, almost seismic change. Russian voices, both literary and journalistic, have always striven to make themselves heard above the clamour of their nation’s unfolding story — commenting on it, shaping it and, in doing so, contributing to the political and intellectual shape of the world far beyond their country’s borders.

But during the last 18 months, Russian lawmakers have passed a number of laws that place a choke hold on the right to express oneself freely in Russia. As writers and artists, we cannot stand quietly by as we watch our fellow writers and journalists pressed into silence or risking prosecution and often drastic punishment for the mere act of communicating their thoughts.

Three of these laws specifically put writers at risk: the so-called gay “propaganda” and “blasphemy” laws, prohibiting the “promotion” of homosexuality and “religious insult” respectively, and the re-criminalisation of defamation.

A healthy democracy must hear the independent voices of all its citizens; the global community needs to hear, and be enriched by, the diversity of Russian opinion.

We therefore urge the Russian authorities to repeal these laws that strangle free speech, to recognize Russia’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to respect freedom of opinion, expression and belief — including the right not to believe — and to commit itself to creating an environment in which all citizens can experience the benefit of the free exchange of opinion.

Signed by:

Aki Kaurismäki

Abdizhamil Karimuly Nurpeisov

Alejandro Sánchez-Aizcorbe

Alek Popov

Aleksandar Hemon

Alexander Gorodnitskiy

Alexey Simonov

Ali Smith

Alix Ohlin

Anders Heger

Anders Jerichow

Andrea Reiter

Andrei Nekrasov

Andrej Nikolaidis

Angel Cuadra

Annabel Lyon

Anthony Appiah

Antonio Della Rocca

Ariel Dorfman

Arnon Grunberg

Bei Dao

Bei Ling

Bigeldy Gabdullin

Carl Morten Iversen

Carme Arenas

Carol Ann Duffy

Cary Fagan

Charles Foran

Charlotte Gray

Chen Maiping

Ching-His Perng

Christine McKenzie

Christoph Hein

Clayton Ruby

Daniel Cil Brecher

Daniel Leuwers

Daša Drndić

David Bezmozgis

David Malouf

David Van Reybrouck

DBC Pierre

Debbie Ohi

E.L. Doctorow

Edward Albee

Eeva Park

Elfriede Jelinek

Elif Shafak

Elisabeth Eide

Ellen Seligman

Emile Martel

Entela Kasi

Eric Lax

Erwin Mortier

Eugene Benson

Eugene Schoulgin

Evelyn Juers

Francine Prose

Francois Thisdale

Françoise Coulmin

Fred Viebahn

Freya Klier

Gabrielle Alioth

Gao Yu

George Melnyk

Gert Heidenreich

Gioconda Belli

Gloria Guardia

Günter Grass

Günter Kunert

Guy Stern

Haroon Siddiqui

Helaine Becker

Helen Garner

Herkus Kuncius

Hori Takeaki

Ian McEwan

Igor Irteniev

Ilija Trojanow

Indrek Koff

Ingo Schulze

Irina Surat

Jane Urquhart

Janice Williamson

Janne Teller

Jarkko Tontti

Jean-Luc Despax

Jeffrey Eugenides

Jennifer Clement

Jennifer Egan

Jennifer Lanthier

Jo Glanville

Jo Hermann

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

John Ashbery

John Massey

John Ralston Saul

Joke van Leeuwen

Jon Lee Anderson

Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Lethem

Josef Haslinger

Jostein Gaarder

Jukka Koskelainen

Jukka Laajarinne

Julian Barnes

Karen Connelly

Katherine Govier

Kätlin Kaldmaa

Kirsty Gunn

Kjell Westö

Klaus Staeck

Kyo Maclear

Larry Siems

Laurel Croza

Laurence Paton

Lauri Otonkoski

Lawrence Hill

Leena Parkkinen

Linwood Barclay

LIU Di

Lorna Crozier

Louise Dennys

Lucina Kathmann

Ludmila Ulitskaya

Ma Jian

Ma Thida

Magda Carneci

Margaret Atwood

Margie Orford

Marian Botsford Fraser

Mark Harris

Markéta Hejkalová

Markus Nummi

Marsha Skrypuch

Masha Gessen

Max Alhau

Michael Guggenheimer

Michael Krueger

Michael MacLennan

Michael Ondaatje

Michelle de Kretser

Miriam Cosic

Myrna Kostash

Nadezda Cacinovic

Neetha Barclay

Neil Bissoondath

Neil Gaiman

Nelofer Pazira

Niels Barfoed

Nino Ricci

Ola Larsmo

Oleg Khlebnikov

Olga Kuchkina

Orhan Pamuk

Patricia Storms

Patrick Lane

Paul Auster

Per Wästberg

Peter Godwin

Peter Normann Waage

Peter Schneider

Peter Stamm

Peter von Bagh

Philip Slayton

Philippe Pujas

QI Jiazhen

Raficq Abdulla

Ralph Giordano

Raymond Louw

Rein Raud

René Appel

Riikka Pelo

Robert Chang

Rohinton Mistry

Ron Deibert

Russell Banks

Salman Rushdie

Sarah Slean

Sergey Gandlevskiy

Sheila Heti

Sheree Fitch

Simon Racioppa

Siri Hustvedt

Sirpa Kähkönen

Sjón

Smagul Yelubay

Sofi Oksanen

Srećko Horvat

Steven Galloway

Susan Coyne

Susin Nielsen

Suzanne Nossel

Sylvestre Clancier

Tanis Rideout

Terry Fallis

Thomas Keneally

Tienchi Martin-Liao

Tomica Bajsić

Tone Peršak

Tony Cohan

Tony Kushner

Ulrich Beck

Uwe Timm

Valery Nikolayev

Veronika Dolina

Vida Ognjenovic

Vilja-Tuulia Huotarinen

Vincent Lam

Vladislav Bajac

William Nygaard

William Schwalbe

Wole Soyinka

Yang Lian

Yann Martel

Yuri Ryashentsev

Zhang Yu

Zhao Shiying

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